During the worst of the recession, many in the home improvement business struggled to stay above water. Now they say, they're finally starting to breathe.

"I've noticed that, recently anyway, people are a little easier to pull the trigger on things. Whereas before, people were very careful with their money, and they're still careful," said Jon Harbridge of Ecorefinishers.

In some cases, government tax incentives are helping. That's why the Zierer's put in a new heating system.

"The government came up with a good plan within the last couple of years," said Maryanne Zierer. "We put geo-thermal in our house, and that saved quite a lot of money. And now we're looking to see what else is out there."